Zindagi Gulzar Hai – Last Episode

As Zindagi Gulzar Hai theme song played at the conclusion and appearance of credits, I stood in front of my TV screen for good minute and thought of all the angry words I could use to describe the episode as my mind was buzzing with them. Then I remembered my nano ami’s golden words that janay waloon ko hamesha achay lafzoon say yaad rakhtai hain chahi who jaisay bhi hoon (one should remember those who are departing with fond words, even if we didn’t learn to become fond of them). So lets try to give our friend Zindagi Gulzar Hai (ZGH), who we have stuck with for a long time, a friend who has given us much to loathe, yet ponder upon, a proper goodbye along with much needed advice.

As a viewer I am relieved that we finally heard these phrases coming from Kashaf’s mouth. She needed to arrive at this stage and all it took was one person who she despised to make her believe that she could indeed look at the rose or the thorns surrounding it. Let me state, I was glad that Kashaf took the ability, buried her pride and opened to tell Zaroon that she indeed loved him, something he could not even believe he would hear especially when he wiped a tear of his eyes while listening to her phone call. It is easier to see why Kashaf might love Zaroon but this episode really did made me question about what did Zaroon find to love in Kashaf, her character? Her intelligence? Her middle class values? The fact that she is a house wife and a working women who handles both at the same time? I wish we had seen one last reflection from both Kashaf and Zaroon as to why and how they have affected each other since the birth of their children and how do they view each other now.

However, the episode stayed true to Kashaf and Zaroon’s underlying relationship where everything was always swept under the carpet and real issues like Kashaf’s securities, Zaroon’s ever growing hypocrisies etc was all buried over beautiful romantic scenes (now with addition of twins). It was a relief to see them finally being happy and declare their undying love for each other…apparently I am concluding its fine for Zaroon to go and meet Asmara while Osama will chill with Kashaf and the twins?

One of the biggest strengths of Zindagi Gulzar Hai was director Sultana Apa’s ability to squeeze the best out of her actors in almost ever scene. If Zindagi Gulzar Hai was only looked at from individual scenes, it would win an Oscar hands down for perfect acting of main cast and brilliant use of camera angles to setup the stage for each scene. Fawad Khan was perfect as he gave range of emotions and the scene in episode 16 where he calls everyone due to not being able to talk to Kashaf will be forever entrenched in my brain. To me the biggest surprise quiet honestly have been three actresses. Sanam Saeed truly stood out and outshone Fawad Khan in some scenes as well. She matched him equally and the chemistry between them was fiery. That is what I would describe as well-matched actors put together to enthrall us. Another surprise was that Ayesha Omar can indeed act and Mansha Pasha found herself as my new favorite actress to watch out for! Zindagi Gulzar Hai is indeed a powerhouse full of talent and no stone was left unturned in choosing the best. For me personally if I need to hire someone to come up with unforgettable dialogues, Umera Ahmad would win the competition any day. Such memorable and beautiful words she weaves but I wish the overall story had been paid much more attension to rather then the individual dialogues in case of ZGH. Same could be said about directors grip on narrative or the editing department.

I remembered in the very first review I described the arrival of Zindagi Gulzar Hai in a friends words who analogized it as the pompous occasion of a barat with all the dhoom dhamaka except the baraat forgets to bring the dulaha with them in all the frenzy. That was one of the biggest problems with Zindagi Gulzar Hai: The Hype. It increased a lot of expectations of viewers like me, who expected for once a social drama written by prolific writer, a veteran director, and a stellar cast to create a well constructed theme and message especially with regards to women empowerment, the emotional burden of neglect due to being born in a certain gender and the power of education with regards to women. Not to mention how important it is for us to thank god for his blessings and be thankful to him for giving us this life- a journey from shikwa to shukar. Sadly the drama should never have been promoted in such a way because none of the themes gelled together or were cohesive enough to drive a point home. Kashaf despite all of her education and independence was still a prisoner to her insecurities that overshadowed everything. She is hardly a role model for any girl. Also it does not certainly helps a cause to squeeze last few lines and call it shukar without ever showing how one got to that point. Let us remember that the last 25.75 episodes were all on shikwa. As a media arts student I am well aquatinted with the pain of director to dramatize certain aspects of a narrative, especially one that is written in more of a philosophical format and is reflective of a social situation. Usually the showing part in terms of visualizing these narrative is then limited to very dramatic scenes and then to lead the story along, what occurs between scenes can be told by “telling” so the story can make progress. Here it is the director job to control the balance between showing and telling. The underlying problem with Zindagi Gulzar Hai has been mainly the imbalance that became so apparent. One example I am going to use from a previous review was the ever going conflict between Kashaf and Zaroon: We had one showing scene between Kashaf and Zaroon in episode four which was only less than a minute long where Kashaf makes a very personal attack during a class argument. We never had any other confrontation. Yet, every time, in past next 3 episodes, everyone is talking about how Kashaf gives Zaroon a headache or how Zaroon is losing arguments in class e.g. “Us nay har waqt dayd inch ki masjid bana rakhi hai…usay superiority complex hai, inferiority complex nahi “ This blah blah or this “telling” is useless to me as a viewer because I never really saw any dramatic action or “showing” which lead me to believe that there was any confrontation between the two characters. Certainly this imbalance between showing and telling has really flattened otherwise what could have been a very crisp and dramatic narrative. As many viewers and commentators pointed out that there was also a severe lack of proper timeline and unbalanced placement of scenes. The drama could have been very well done only if most of the scenes had been placed at the right time, at the right pace and all the background noise and useless repetition had been cut off.

Zindagi Gulzar Hai has not been an easy drama to review or critique at times. My sincere thanks and love to Sadaf and Roh for covering for me (when I was extremely busy & unavailable) and helping me when I was stuck. Thanks once to Faraz as well who did a review to cover both Sadaf and I. To all the commentators, viewers and those bold enough to energize all the discussions, and those who stuck with this safar till the end, thank you for making things gulzar here. It has been lovely to know you all (old and new) for past 26 weeks and believe me the drama is no fun without all your witty, honest and extremely insightful comments. I learned so much from all of you and I hope to see you all for new Umera Ahmad’s drama Kankar (starting Fahad Mustafa, Sanam Balooch & Mohib Mirza) as well as Fawad Khan’s new drama Numm (also starting Sania Saeed and VJ Kanza).

Numm Promo can be find here:

Poll Results: Who Won? Team Kashaf or Team Zaroon?

Out of almost combined 2000 votes per week on average till the very end:

51% were on team Kashaf

49% were on team Zaroon.

I am sure we can draw pretty clear conclusion from this. Faraz rigged the poll and added all votes for Zaroon right?… :D I am just kidding. Surprisingly in the last few weeks I was thinking that Team Z will win by large margin. However stats tell us otherwise!

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Finally it comes to an end with bitter sweet feelings. My two bits for posterity.

LIKED – The actress playing Sidra. What an excellent performance. Proves yet again that its not the length of the role but what you do with it. Fawad Khan – his is the only character which showed growth thru the journey of the story. From the University days to his decision to get married to Kashaf and then trying his best to make the marriage work. And if he was the only one then it has a lot to do with his talent and understanding rather than the way it was written or the director. Words can fall short of praising this man’s talent. The question is not if he will be do justice to a role, but whether there are roles out there that can do justice to his talent. Production values were excellent. Right from the locations to the DOP.

DISLIKED – Kashaf’s character and the way it was enacted. And most disturbingly it portrays all that can be wrong in a wife, that too in the name of woman empowerment. A person who refuses to be grateful for anything good in her life. A person who refuses to share or reciprocate anything with her husband.

What is a romantic serial where the audience doesn’t feel like the couple should get back together. I actually felt good for Zaroon when Kashaf left the house. I think that says it all.

Loved the journey and would definitely be seeing bits again, but mainly for Fawad.

Roh

I couldn’t agree more about Kashaf’s character. Her negativity sapped the energy out of me. And to think that she has become the role model for many youngsters, makes me wonder. The conclusion, that she finally went back to her husband, only so that her kids wouldn’t grow up without a father, the way she did, was very disappointing. I have no issues for that being a big concern, but given the fact that she left the house for trust issues, and then came back for this, made the whole thing so regressive. If it was directed in a better way, showing that the trust issues were resolved, talked about, bringing out the reason of Kashaf’s negativity, and then going on to show that she never wanted her kids to grow up the way she did, it would be beautiful. The couple would have talked about a lot of excess baggage from the past, sorted it out, and cemented the way for a happier future. She would have come to terms with many more things, now going to be a mother herself, as we well as Zaroon, would have understood her better. To settle the trust issues with some “sweet” romantic lines, just made me cringe. That’s not what it is in real life. You can’t brush issues like trust and assumed betrayal, with light hearted romance, which Fawad makes most people go “awwwwwww” at. I liked aman asha’s reply in a post which talked about “pretending to give a message” ZGH was a mess in the process of that.

Bobby

@Roh Leaving the message bit behind. Even as a story the basic flaw would be two for me – 1. Why would somebody like Zaroon fall in love and want to marry somebody like Kashaf 2. For any love story the audience should want the two of them to be seen and come back together. That just didn’t happen for me.

But it was a nice watch nevertheless and some scenes are memorable.

Roh – it was so wonderful having interacted with you on this forum. Made my viewing experience so much more complete and fulfilling. God Bless. If you don’t mind me asking, which city in India are you based out of.

Which other serials would you recommend – Dastan ?

Sej

I have to say I went into this show with a lot of expectations. With it getting rave reviews I think what really really worked against it is what someone wrote below—the hype. I found the female lead incredibly irritating and quite depressing to watch. Granted her character had its share of struggles in life however a role model she did not make. When I look at it as a whole her character was the weakest one in the show. Furthermore what was portrayed with Zaroon’s mom and sister who played the semi-negative roles I actually found myself relating to! All in all I wish I hadn’t started watching with high expectations in which case I may not have found myself this disappointed with the show. Out of the leads I was able to understand Zaroon’s character development-flawed man with his share of good things to offer. However her I had no sympathy for and did not understand what made her like-able in any sense.

And thank you! I have to thank you for DP. I have made some very very good friends here, and I'm grateful for that.

My reviews were just an outcome of a situation to chip in for my friends here. You can count on me for whatever support I can give, whenever DP needs it. :)

Sadaf

You are always welcome Faraz and I liked your summary it really got to the heart of the matter. I hate to admit it but you were right from the beginning this story was oriented towards Kashaf and I think they kind of beefed up Zaroon's role so big star like Fawad would play it . Thank you Maria you did a great job … With a great drama like Humsafar or Dastaan ,it is a little easier but to keep up with one like this which is such a mixed bag is hard , so bravo Maria and Roh !!

I hated most of this last episode but there was one scene which was like a jewel in all the cliches …when Kashaf woke up to find Zaroon next to here and he said He was there for his daughters …that might have n=been the best scene int the entire serial .

Faraz

So another Mega Star drama is over… with mixed reviews… its wasnt the bumper dumper mega hit drama.. but i guess much better drama in the current lot.

I see ZGH as the Story told from Kashf's point of view. not only that.. It was told by Sultana siddiqui in her style. and thats where it got interesting . because of the fact that back in the days of PTV she did not have much competition other then STN.. but directing a drama in todays time where you have to be commercial yet stuck to story is an art itself… did Sultana sidiqqui acheive that? i would say yes to an extent with a notion that she did very well on the commercial front however could not find the balance between quality and quantity. there are very few directors who can do the balance though… only Sarmad.. Haissam. and Mehreen can do the with ease.. so i guess Sultana siddique choose quantity over quality. which is okay for the time being but now HUM TV needs to pick up and come up with really good Story focused Dramas.

The Real Hero of this drama was actually Sanam Saeed and how well she managed to do that . Her acting was a class part. despite few glitches considering that she has done around 5-6 mainstream work.. she really took the drama on her shoulders.. despite the fact that she had to make sure she doesnt get lost in the super stardom of Fawad Khan..

The narrative could have been tighter…however at the end of the day. its all about money… HUM TV wanted a big money spinner and they got it…

Humsafar has set the bar very high.. just like alpha bravo charlie or ahaat or uroosa or chand gherhan.. or waris.. these are all epic shows that happens once in a life time and then stay classic… so comparing every FK drama with humsafar shouldnt be the case… however even though we take the comparison out , I think ZGH could have been much better.

I think the novel was better than the drama . however thats my point of view only… Sultana Siddiqui could not transform it to full buts that;s her lacking.. which is okay since the dynamics these days have changed alot… but it was good to see her style of direction.

Thank you Misty for your wonderful efforts every week. I know review writing can really test you sometime but thats what i love about your style.. you have this ability to make something out of nothing… as if you get one letter" A" and you are able to write a whole story from it :D you made some really great posts including the image review of the 11th episode :D

keep up the great work Misty and expect to see lots more interesting posts from your end.

Sadaf : you are our saviour.. whenever DP is looking for help you are right there to give your full to it and thats without expecting anything in return :D thank you for being there whenever it mattered.. whenever misty needed someone to cover her up! :)

We made some really good friends along the way. and not to forget discovered a reviewer ROH :)… hope to see more reviews from ROH in the future!!

lets hope that the other dramas will be really good.. the competition is getting tougher.. i am looking forward to Aun Zara… since its HH and FI combo.. so lets keep it rolling! :)

I also cringed at the scenes where zaroon is yelling at the help Amjad, its just sad, they are hired help, not slaves, it just makes want to slap zaroon, or anyone else for that matter, tameez is not just when you talk to your in laws with respect but also your subordinates, younger fellows, etc, zaroon might have missed that boat. Also, Amjad looked so masoom, even my husband said so.

Annie

thank you Maria for sticking with this one for 26 episodes.

I wish they had edited the "tangay tod doon ga" dialogue out or FK would have refused to say it. Implying physical abuse even in a humorous way is NOT funny!

Amna

ZGH started on a strong note but somewhere around the 3rd epi lost its focus…..got better in the middle….then confusing again towards the end….main problem ws the stretchng of epis…..if it ended in 20 epis it would be alot better…..but I hav to say im impressed by ss acting in this drama….she perfrmed realy well.

anwar.suhail

Sadly we have created this problem for ourselves. If we compare each drama starring FK, with Humsafar we are bound to be disappointed.

About time we move on.

Maha

Finally its over….

I think Novel was much better..Fawad & Sanam was Brilliant, there is no doubt about it but the problem was with script..Umera Failed to do justice with Kashaf's Character…& I dont like cheesy romance so did not enjoy ZK shots lol..

Overall it was a good drama but for me HS was special & ZGH did not reach on that novel

Nitasha

Hi, watched the promo for Numm and looking forward to watching it. Any idea when it will be aired, and on which channel?

Huma

I think you're all being terribly unfair… zaroon is a chauvanist, even he doesnt deny it… and yes hes a suspicious, bast***d, however, he keeps trying to understand her and her actions, doesnt walk away… i didnt like that he speaks to asmara the way he does, but even there he says he didnt expect kashaf to be unreasonable , because he expects her to be rational… or thats what he was implying and he subtly criticizes asmara… however, that was one scene we couldve done without, esp since it wasnt in the book like that at all.

Bur both did evolve… zaroon is the spoilt, self-centerd ass who thinks the world revolves asround him, but he makes sure that the minute his wife says i wanna come back, he lands up in the nest few hours to make sure she does return, he doesnt make her feel debased by coming back to the house, hat in hand, asking for forgiveness.The msg being, even if you believe you are right dont kick the wife when shes down.

Kashaf HAS also evolved… she admits to herself she loves him and then in the last scene where all of you think shes being out of character, i feel she now actually trust this guy to let herself go and be natural with him and actually tease and be teased in return.

As far as what did zaroon find to love in Kashaf… it was her strength of character and right and wrong, and thats what keeps him with her… and he bend sover backwards to accomodate her.

Kashaf goes back because she loves him, and also bec it IS a socail choice…. the kind of background she comes from, divorce is tough sh*t, and its no walk in a park to bring up your kids alone.

But then marriage is abt compromises, and so is life… no one is perfect, you have to make the best of your situation and frankly, she didnt have it too bad!

And lastly, whether anyone likes it or not, umera ahmeds writings have a very religous streak in thenm, and the "shikwa to shukar" is part of that… a very islamic way of thinking that even if life does not gove you lemons, you have to keep believing that all happens for a purpose, life is a journey, and you will eventually get the lemonade you always wanted.

Also someone said (here or last time) why was kashaf the uptight so easy with him on the wedding night? Thats cuz they knew each since more than 4 yrs, in which both of them were basically in-your-face with each other, and were pretty up-front abt their views to each other as well… and he was poss the only guy in her life that she actually spoke to with so frankly and candidly. I also think that they didnt have just that "one" telephone conversation (the moon is "gol"), and well, flirt-asish conversation helps break the ice pretty much :)

Sorry for the rant, but i believe you all unfairly dissed the whole drama, which was a good one and very true to life… :)

Kudos to the the cast and crew for keeping all of us glued to the screen every friday… they will be missed :)

test

And one last thing, the crux of the ending, the herione lay down her arms and accepts defeat when she hears of twin girls. This proves the hypothesis of the writer: no escape in man's world, does not matter how much a lady has accomplished; in the end it is all about submitting to husband and making him happy. The drama is like teaching girls to accept male dominance allwrapped up in romance that ever happens. It is a clever and shrewd piece of writing for a specific agenda which is: earth is man's heaven.

Roh

@NK: I too think Kashaf'v evolving was something that we were told with dialogues in the last 5 minutes. We never saw it happen as a part of the direction, which was one of the reasons it was dragging for so long.

And don't even get me started on the gender equality thing. Far from equal, it showed exactly what SK mentioned above. That no matter how much Kashaf slogged and educated herself, become financially independent, she still will believe that cooking and cleaning is the way to keep your husband happy. And then even worry about girl children. And I can bet she will bring up her girls that way as well, like Rafia did. If women do this to women, and send them to the kitchen and make them believe that is their only place, who and what will change the mindset of men? Even after a few generations, it will never change. :(

@test: you said it! Purely fictional. (and badly made, too!)

SK

*she still stayed nashukar till end*

SK

@ sadaf I think by role model they meant…she overcame many personal issues and obstacles to get a further education and job. The fact that she still stayed till the end and preferred cleaning bathrooms is a whole other issue lol

@ nk zaroon may not have changed his chauvinistic ways which I still have issues with, but if Kashaf molded herself to him, you could say he did too. He happily stayed at her house with no complaints even there was a stark difference in lifestyle, he very maturely dealt with his mom and wife conflicts. The fact that that maturity then jumped out the window regarding Osama is also a whole other issue…but then this serial has been full of confusions and contradictions so whatever!

Sadaf

@NK just read my comment and it probably sounded snappy , so sorry it was not meant to . Thanks for being nice enough not to snap back :) challo I will consider it an evolution then :)

test

I loved episodes 13 through 20. Rest were just fillers. Drama has been altered entirely as compared to novel. I think the novel is more realistic. Anyway both novel and drama promote submission of women to men. Foremost, how a girl can marry a man who has slapped her even before any relationship to begin with. This was in the novel.

The lead actors did great job but the storyline lacks reality. I mean really a guy with all characterstics in the world will marry a girl which seems to lack attributes in worldly sense and then will be super happy with twin daughters. Please give me a break. Also the level of romance he shows to the girl is just pure fictional.

So, ladies enjoy the show but never expect this to happen.

NK

@Sadaf: If you read what I have been writing in the past few weeks, you would know that I don't agree with a lot of what Kashaf does. Kashaf's behavior and mindset takes a 360 degree turn in just one scene – you're right, that's not evolving. But if you look at the Kashaf we saw in the very scene (episode 1) and the Kashaf we saw in the last episode, you can see she has changed. That is all I meant. The character has evolved in that sense, now it is not the character's fault if the writer and director are not able to depict that "evolution" properly and logically over time. But the story is about Kashaf's journey and how she changes, right? Granted they did not do a good job of portraying that, but if we leave that part aside, Kashaf changes at the end of the show while Zaroon does not. To evolve means to develop or change over time.

Sadaf

Excuse me @NK where and when did Kashaf evolve ???? I must have missed that part was it the couple of sentences she said before the credits rolled …hmm that is a whole new definition of evolve .

NK

@Twinks: I agree with what Roh said. Kashaf evolved through the course of the show and becomes a better person. But Zaroon is not a dynamic character, and I use the literary meaning of that term (dynamic vs. static character). Kashaf is portrayed as the girl we're all rooting for on the show, our protagonist, but she is shown to have faults. Over the course of her story, she changes and evolves into a better person. She fixes the faults and all is well. Zaroon, on the other hand, is a very static protagonist. He is shown to have faults but those faults never get fixed. Kashaf just learns to compromise and accept him with those faults. Too bad Mr. Zaroon couldn't just accept Kashaf the way she was, and "marrying him was his biggest mistake"! Cry me a river. Such Pakistani mentality. Girl bows down so a marriage works. Forget the fact that Zaroon has no respect for gender equality and will always be a hypocrite and borderline misogynist. Oh, but that's okay, because he loves her. She will be the caged bird that will live happily ever after. *rolling my eyes*

I don't mean to be so pessimistic about shows and stuff, but I feel very strongly about gender equality, especially in Pakistan. I feel that these shows pretend like they are empowering women, but nobody stops to question if they actually are doing that or not? Why are women so helpless in our society? If a woman expects a man to change, why is she always blamed and called to be ungrateful? Don't get me wrong, Zaroon is a good person. He is caring and loving and a good husband. He is better for Kashaf because he shows her a life outside of the one she has lived. He shows her that there is such a thing as happiness. But only if I could go back and delete the scene where he calls himself a male chauvinist, I would not have a problem with this at all. If only they did not portray him that way in those few scenes, everything else could me made to be marital misunderstanding. But to personify someone's character as a male chauvinist and then to end the show not only without addressing that issue but using that dialogue (main tumhari taangey tod doonga? excuse my urdu!) makes my heart weep.

Oh, and this is me NOT discussing the show. Haha!

Sadaf

@Roh Ha ha ha ha aha you are the best :)

Roh

@Sadaf: I have been forgetting to tell you that your post on #7 about people thinking that Kashaf is a role model is really worrying. Reminds me of one of my favourite quotations – "If you cannot be a good example, you will remain a horrible warning." She is pretty much the latter for me.

Sadaf

I don't like the image of marriage they have presented it looks like a battlefeild …IF marriage is a battle then it is won only when you throw down your weapons

Hana

Lots of loose ends but all in all good ending and glad kashaf finally declared her love!! Also glad that she finally decided to count her blessings. Her nashukri attitude has finally changed!! Hurray for that:)

Just wondering how there is another post above with the same name as mine? I thought names couldn't be repeated when signing up on this forum?

SK

*doesn't count btw

SK

Thank you Misty for the bang on review and all you guys for making the weekly discussions fun. Personally we have discussed all the flaws along the way, so not even gonna go there. A lot of us agree a lot of issues were just glossed over with some cheesy lines and the million issues that this seial began with were not followed though till the end.

I was not really satisfied with the make up process, after Kashaf had taken such a big step at leaving the home. It was a damp squib after she came back, as if nothing had happened, really funny I guess for them? The bed scene was very cute but something you would expect after maybe a deep and meaningful discussion of the status of their relationship, it was just all so easy somehow and I was left disappointed.

I was also very disappointed that housework was made a pivotal issue as to what was missing in zaroons life…really? What was the point of the servant being there then if Kashaf did everything? wasn't Kashaf a highly successful CSS officer? Did she really have time to do every little thing herself? I am finding it hard to digest that that is why zaroon was miserable. Instead of missing her companionship, the irty bathroom was highligted? Is that why a woman is missed? Degrading to say the least.

There have been many positives, i have enjoyed ZGH in many parts due to some memorable performances, of which FK and SS have excelled, their scenes were

amazing! Some dialogues and monologues were truly heart touching. The family

scenes at the end were very cute, and made superficially for great ending.

I guess I am breathing a sigh of relief though as now i don't have to analyze zaroon and Kashaf anymore and the how's,why's and wth did he just say moments.

Thank you team ZGH for all the effort you put into making this serial. The director did a great job of extracting the best out of the actors and the performances no doubt

were wonderful. I just wish it had not dragged so much in the beginning and just focused on a couple of tracks, there were so many issues that could have been explored due Kashaf and zaroon and how their personalities had been introduced.

Yet we went on a crazy journey of Osama and Asmara and how house work makesyou an awesome wife, daddy issues toh ghayab he hogaye..we were subjected to murtaza for 20 episodes and yet zaroon and Kashaf talked about him only once over a two minute dinner..really weren't all of Kashafs problems due to him?

Zaroon sahab in the early episodes was instantly having double standards with Asmara and Sara and mein nard hoon, mein baar jasakta hoo etc I thought this wsswhere the Osama Asmara issue was going that he would be remorseful and introspective that he was wrong, yet Kashaf and zaroon barely discussed it and he didn't even apologize to her. Telling Asmara oesnt fount btw. This was such a perfect opportunity to show that it is not right for men to go around on coffee dates with women etc but get all crazy when they even suspect their wives one little bit, but instead of exploring that, we ot overdoses of cooking for your husband and cleaning the bathroom is what makes great relationship, seriously its so obvious in what the screen play was showing.

Enough ranting as Roh said. Hope not to bore you. I was really going to keep it short but kept going on as I was so disappointed!

Well

Roh

@twinks: I don't think Zaroon's chauvinism was addressed at all, He did tell her in the middle of those terrible romantic dialogues (even cheesy is too good a word for those lines) that he would break her legs if she left the house again. I suppose people can see love and affection and jest and sweet banter in that. But I cannot. It reeks of chauvinism. Also that Kashaf felt so good about being in his "mutthi". Control was too strong a word for her. She was happier in being in the former.

The more I think about the messages from this drama, the more degrading I find every possible one for women. By women. ***smh***

Roh

@NK: I had the same issues. That bit about the expecting girl children and crying over it showed me what a weak character Kashaf really was. It was shameful.

And you echoed my thoughts in your 1st para.

@kez: that was another dialogue which made me go "what??????????????????"

kez

I don't think this serial gave any real message, or showed shikway sey shukar ka safar … the only message i got out of this was in the last episode … which i hope no one takes seriously … its when kashaf is syaing that Zaroon "controlled" or wrapped her around his finger with his flattery … to this did not seems very positive. :(

twinks

@Neeshay: thanks a million for the link! Another FK show? Wow! I thought I read somewhere that he doesn't work as much as many/most actors cuz he is selective with his project but honestly, I feel like the guy's always got something new airing. Seriously, does the guy get any time to chill out?

Also, FK is starting to freak me out a bit. He really seems to get into those angry scenes, especially when he's ticked off at a girl. Yikes!!! Where do actors draw that much violence from, creepy!!!

I have no idea what the storyline of Behad is from that clip, which I find is pretty much the case for whenever I see a clip for any new promo, ha! ha! Maybe I'm just really bad at figuring this out or haven't seen enough shows? But I do think I figured out that Behad is just a one shot deal, like a couple of hours cuz it's a telefilm. It's not a drama, right?

http://alliswell.express-forum.net Tinni

Misty any idea when will Numm start and which channel? What is the storyline?

twinks

@NK: totally agree with what you said!

@ sadaf: thanks for your words of encouragement…I will definitely miss all of the interesting discussions and the folks I have met along the way. I think I enjoyed Humsafar so much that it seems like all else will just pale in comparison. Even while ZGH has been airing I have had to go back to watch parts of HS to just bring a smile to my face :)

I do agree with whoever said Umera Ahmad has a way with dialogue. I think her use of language borders on poetic (at times) but unfortunately overall script and story arch just fall short. I guess that is what is making me hesitant about the other upcoming dramas. I mean, if a show with an established writer, iconic director, and stellar cast with such strong lead actors, still leaves so many of us scratching our heads about the show's execution, well, I can't imagine what other dramas are like! Yikes!

@Faraz: thanks for the forum to discuss and putting up with crazy long ramblings of some of us, particularly if you don't agree with those rambling thoughts :)

one question for fellow viewers, regarding the way the show ended, NK, you brought some really good points about how the way some plot points were addressed at the end fell short. So now I am wondering, did they ever really address Zaroon's double standard/chauvinism? He was a self-admitted male chauvinist and I was hoping that the show would show him evolve too in that regard, but I think I missed it. Can someone help me out here please? Does K really just take him back because she doesn't want to raise the girls alone and would rather live with Z as his wife, even if she has to share him with someone? Does she not need him to change at all regarding his chauvinism?

http://alliswell.express-forum.net Tinni

Dear Misty, thanks for taking the trouble once again of reviewing. It is not an easy task and you should take a bow alongwith your team for doing such a wonderful job. Now coming to the last episode, I loved the way Kashaf calls up calls up Zaroon and starts crying over the sex of her children and then say she wants to return to her home..Zaroon says 'aja' very naturally and a bit of emotionally. In India the sex of the child is not disclosed for obvious reasons but in Pakistan it is different I find, nevertheless for a mother who has struggled herself for being a woman on learning she was carrying two female twins will no doubt make her feel very apprehensive, for she does not want her daughters to struggle the way she has. There are flaws in the drama, I agree but the story took us through a learning process of a relationship called marriage. Yes in every marriage there are ups and downs, you learn and you adjust, it is good to see both Zaroon and Kashaf were willing to change though Zaroon more and Kashaf took her time. Zaroon cribbing to Asmara is quite natural though many may not like it, under such circumstances people do undergo many doubts and apprehensions and let us take that Asmara too has learnt a few though I still cannot understand the girl who wished Zaroon and Kashaf hell wanted to patch up with Zaroon so quickly. I loved the oneliners which the duo share on the bed but at the same time, Kashaf could have left somethings unsaid as it is against her nature and in such relationships feelings are heard and understood. Nevertheless, to make Zaroon happy….

In short it was a journey called marriage and it showed even two very different people incase they are willing to learn can make their marriage work. A very important lesson in today's times.

NK

After watching the episode yesterday, I had a lot of complaints from the show. But now that I've given myself 24 hours and cleared my mind, I would like to say zindagi gulzar hai. :) I will miss the show because I will miss the wonderful acting and dialogues. I will miss Fawad Khan. I will miss Friday night excitement after a long week to watch this show with my mother and a cup of chai. I will miss yelling at my laptop at both Kashaf and Zaroon and their stupidity. But that's okay – if I can survive Humsafar hangover, I can survive anything. :)

I had a lot of complaints from the show over the course of the show, but my biggest complaint will be how they portrayed Zaroon and Kashaf's reconciliation. That entire sequence was out of order – I wish I could physically go in and change the sequence of the scenes! Kashaf forgives Zaroon out of nowhere (okay, maybe because a part of her loves him – so where was that part when she didn't trust him and left the house in the middle of the night?). And after she forgives him, we see that he tells her there's no way there could ever be anything between him and Asmara. What I got out of that entire plot was that Kashaf mostly just goes back to Zaroon because she doesn't want to live the life that her mother lived. She doesn't want to be a single mother who raises daughters on her own. And right after that horrendous message is sent to us, we see gagworthy romance between the couple!

Everything is acceptable and tolerable in a show as long as they keep true to their message to the audience. Daughters are a blessing. Kashaf should not just be happy, she should be proud that she will be a mother to two girls. She should be confident enough in herself with getting ridiculous consolation from her mother about having a son later on. That twisted message really made me cringe because I didn't know WHAT they were trying to tell us!

Anyway, no more ranting. Zindagi gulzar hai with and without the show, right? :) Thank you to everyone who provided reviews on the site! I wasn't a regular by any means, but it's always nice to come and read different perspectives here whenever I have some time to rant!

@Twinks if there is any credit for opening up a space it is entirely Faraz's :) He is the first one who thought of this wonderful idea of allowing a space to discuss and enjoy Pakistani dramas.Now don't give up , first of all we will miss you and secondly there are plenty of good dramas coming …kanker , dil Mohalley ki haveli , Silvetein Aun Zara (which I will be reviewing ) and there a re plenty of good discussions going on .

Mimi

I'm happy this came to an end just because I had invested so much time watching. To be fair I think the actors did a great job with a limited and confusing script, sanam an fawad had great chemistry. Where did it fail? Why would kashaf marry a guy she hated so much? Way too much kashaf complaining little satisfying resolution where she is actually grateful. Would it kill them to say sorry. Also I'm actually very sick of seeing the modern working woman villainized so much. Only dupatta wearing submissive women are considered good. And to end with..

..how much tea and fruit to people eat in Pakistan!!

twinks

Oh, forgot to say thanks to everyone involved in the transliteration process for ZGH and HS, it is much appreciated! Looking forward to the final products once they are available :)

twinks

@Misty: thanks for a thorough review! I think you summed up the viewer experience pretty well :)

@Roh: I agree with so much of what you said in your comment for this epi, well, pretty much in almost all the epis, ha! ha! Your "nitpicking" as you call it is just your way of viewing and actually enjoying the show. Some of us dissect things as part of our viewing experiencing, it's all good!

I am very confused about Z's response to K when she says something to the effect of "I love you, you are the first and last man that will come into my life.' and he says "I know." Um,….when exactly did he get this insight? I thought the whole problem for him was that she never told him how she felt *scratching head.* Can someone please tell me what I am missing? I feel like I missed that transition in Z. I appreciate any thoughts folks have on this :)

@Sadaf and Faraz: well, I am relatively new to PK shows, and am not sure if I will continue viewing, so wanted to say thanks for opening up a place where newbies can ask questions and share their thoughts, even if they are not popular :)

No idea if I will watch that new show Kankar? is that what it is called? Or that new one with FK…I don't like stuff where folks are cheating and really can't stomach to watch stuff where the protagonist is cruel, I have to like the character to root for him/her and to give up my valuable free time to watch the so-called entertainment. From the 12 min promo of Numm I don't expect I'll like FK's character, looks more like the anti-hero to me than hero. But I could be the odd one out :) Perhaps will give these 2 a shot, but no promises :)

Happy viewing to everyone!

deepwater.

I cannot describe how happy I am to finally get rid of this tiresome drama's promos from my TV screen. Thank-you for ending and hope I don't catch a glimpse of you any time soon. Everyone else about this drama has been said and done to death already. The only thing I have to mention is whether people want to believe it or not, the amount of similarities this drama tried to ape from Humsafar are never-ending. Didn't match up to any although…

Sadaf

I am so tired of this drama that I feel itni mushkiley parhee key ehsaan ho gaaey. Some where along the way I realised that khamkha mein dimagh iss key ooper ziya karney ki kiya zaroorat hai ?? we have discussed its flaws and merits to death over the last several months and the result is I am so happy it is over. There are plenty of people who loved and appreciated it and though the mind boggles I am going sit back and go to my happy place for a while as in Humsafar just to wash the taste out of my mouth and say no more . The only thing I will say is that I see a very worrying trend of people admiring Kashaf and I think that is unfortunate. Her attitude is not anything anyone should emulate.

Roh

Misty, thank you for a detailed review bringing the last episode to a close. Despite all the ups and downs of the drama, I have to say that the last 26 weeks was most enjoyable because of the discussions here, and I have to thank you for giving us the opportunity for doing so.

Its almost the end of May 2013, and I do think ZGH has played a big role in the time flying like this, living Friday to Friday.

The episode was nothing unexpected. After 25 episodes, when Kashaf had not yet opened her eyes to count her blessings, the last and 26th episode was most predictable. I guess if everything had to be stuffed into 40 minutes, we should be able to understand why there never was any closure of the core issue of her insecurity because of her father.

I’d like to forewarn you that this is a total rant, and you might just be better off by skipping what I have to say, to the next response. :)

A lot of my disappointment, I think, had to do with my expectations of a social message of a girl child. THAT sadly, not only did NOT come across to me, but also it was in reverse gear. To hear Rafia tell Kashaf, never mind you are going to have twin girls, you can have a son later, was shocking. It is often said that a woman is a woman’s worst enemy, and I think mothers who think like Kashaf before the birth of their girl child, really fits the bill for me in that category. When women feel inadequate for what they have suffered, being a woman, and they don’t want a girl child because of that, I think we take society 100 steps back, in this mentality. Those dialogues made me cringe. And in lieu of that, Rafia’s advice to cook for Zaroon, which was repeated almost as often as “baap hai tumhare” made me sick in my stomach. So no matter, how much you slog to educate your daughters, at the end of the day they must cook and clean bathrooms for the husband to feel their worth and miss their presence in the house.

I must mention the things that caught my attention and added to my shudders.

Zaroon cribbing to Asmara that he had made the biggest mistake of his life by marrying K, because they had nothing in common was appalling. And then only Asmara made him see that he was wrong? Oh Puh-leeeeze!

That whole hat trick of great romance, (from the wedding episode) went out of the window for me today. The terrible childish, juvenile, immature, idiotic conversation – masquerading as “sweet nothings” which took place between husband and wife in this episode just made me shake my head (left to right and back). Kashaf, who never had a sense of humour and rarely smiled was actually spewing out cheap filmy dialogues and even enacting them? It didn’t work at all.

And that “you’re going to romance with me” “so you want me to romance with you” as a part of making up…ugggghhhhh….sorry, but that is NOT real life, after major marital discord of suspecting infidelity. It was worse than any bad movie that I have seen, making major issues like this seem so trivial.

When Kashaf actually told Z that he should have been upfront about her with everything from the beginning, I coulnd’t believe my ears! Kashaf darling, what about that loan you refused to tell him about?

And what about that line where he tells her he will break her legs if she steps out of his house in jest? That is crude language to use for his wife. It was fitting when Murtuza told K that many moons ago, because it went with his evil character. Please forgive me for my detailed nitpicking because I do not see any humour or sweet romance in this. And she actually felt all secure and good about it? What happened to your “strong personality” which at some time Z said he admired and was one of the things that attracted you to him, pray?

Or someone please tell me again that what was it in K that attracted Z to her?

The other thing that made me cringe was the way Z spoke to the domestic helper. I understand that many people talk to them like that, but in my books it just not acceptable. It reeks of rude, arrogance and a sense of power over the weak. What kind of man was this?

I can go on and on with my dhobi list, but I’m sure all of you have things to share as well. So I look forward to reading from you all and nitpicking more. ;)

The only nice bit for me in this episode was when Z said he came to K’s house for his daughters and not for her. That was the only thing that brought a smile to my face.

I really wish that heartwarming romance we saw in those 3 episodes was brought further here. I remember in one of them when Z told K that when she leaves him one day, he will count the stars then. They could have brought that in, instead of showing him freak on the domestic helper. There was so much scope, but I think the direction lacked in all aspects, and a weak faulty screenplay, didn’t help it at all.

I’m relieved that it ended with zindagi being gulzar for everyone. Nothing tied up for me in this grand finale. It was a maddening ride, and by the end of it, I was just waiting to get off it. In retrospect, I got nothing out of it on the screen, but eye candy for 26 whole weeks, and for that I’m very grateful.  I’m really going to miss our post-Friday hang outs here every week. I also want to thank everyone for being really really sweet to me for the reviews that I did to chip in to help out Misty. It has been great interacting with you all.

Hana

Many viewers like me enjoyed Zindagi Gulzar Hai tremendously without nitpicking every small flaw.There were many who felt it was better than Humsafar…the romance, chemistry between the lead pair and Sanam Saeeds acting was brilliant,extra ordinary par excellence performance…Sanam take a bow…..you are a wonderful actress….nobody could have done a better job than Sanam…she simply outshone everyone else….her fabulous, sensitive portrayal of Kashaf , moved us and she was definitely the star performer. Fawad Khan needs no more accolades…he showed once again his calibre….he is the indisputable 'King of romance ' and without him this drama would never have enjoyed the viewership and popularity it got!!! I think the kind of response even reviews of ZGH got bears testimony to the fact that even those who criticised could not ignore or stop watching or commenting about the drama…as they say u realise the true worth of things when they are gone.. for lot of us our Fridays will no longer be Gulzar….ZGH..Kashaf and Zaroon we will sorely miss u!!:((

http://www.cbs.com royter

Well good for this drama's legacy to end here. The drama had a bad start and there was no improvement until episode 8 when it started to look a little closer to the plot in the novel. One of the major disappointment regarding the drama was that it swayed away from the novel's plot into a really terrible journey where the viewers were bored and they felt it went on and on without any progress. There was too much about the 2 families there class difference and there different lives instead of the 2 main characters. There were good actors like Waseem Abbas [Kashf's abba] who were wasted with a wasteful character and then there were bad actors like Ayesha Omar and Mehreen Raheal [Asmara] who really made the show irritating for viewers. The biggest flaw was the casting of the main character of Kashf. There were many better choices than Sanam Saeed to play this role, and a fashion import became more and more unlikable for the viewers when they saw her skinshow in her background in fashion, a really bad influence. She is a shining example of how Pakistan's so pathetically behind in every field due to PR ruling over merit.

I personally was appalled with the kind of decisions veteran director Sultana Siddiqui took. Apart from some episodes like 8-10 or 18-22 there was a stretched storyline with no depth and little to offer.

In the end I would consider ZGH a job done minus the word well.

Huma

*problems

Huma

I think that was a very harsh review! The drama had its flaws, but it was wonderful… and it was a good ending. They will both have their issues and poroblems but they will work through them somehow, and even try to brush them under the carpet like real ppl… but they wrapped it up satisfyingly well :D

anwar.suhail

Thank God It's finally over; without any drastic change in lead characters' attitude. I somehow enjoyed this episode, partly because it was the last one. However Zaroon and Kashaf will stay in our memories for a long time.

No point in discussing the story and it!'s lessons, as we have exhausted this topic ad-nauseum. Sanam Saeed excelled in this drama and in fews scenes(though very few) she surpassed Fawad Khan.

ZGH has been a mixed blessing from start till the final episode. I expected better results from Sultana Siddiqui, though expected nothing from UA.

I enjoyed the reviews and discussions, comments, criticism and idiosyncrasies which at times were more interesting than actual drama.